imperial_projectfandomcom-20200214-history
Tigershark (Family)
"Death from the deep" Official Itachizame motto "KAIZOKU-OU NI NARU OTOKO!" Unnofficial Itachizame motto Jinbei the Demon was originally the commander of the Mikado's fleet, but as the need for a naval force was not necessary for the war of conquest, he often felt that his skills were being squandered. Hearing of the Crystal Island, Jinbei decided to go an conquer it, but rather than give it up to the Mikado like a good retainer, he left the Empire behind and named him "Pirate King". This betrayal earned him, and the Crystal Islander in general, a horrible reputation. Rather than set himself up as a universal ruler with divine right to rule, Jinbei setup the entire island around a form of egalitarian, meritocratic government called the Great Pirate Alliance, with the Pirate King ruling the island due to ruthlessness, power and wealth. Over the years, the many children of Jinbei formed various families and groups of their own, leading to rivalries amongst them. The Itachizame is one of those smaller families that rose to power during the Imperial conquest of the Crystal Isle, having put their weight behind the conquering forces rather than backing the Hohojirozame Pirate King. While they had to submit to Imperial power, they were named "ruler" of the Crystal Isle, effectively taking the title of Pirate King. The wealth of the Crystal Isle, combined with the military power of their fleet, makes the Itachizame one of the most powerful family in the Empire. The Itachizame Family The Itachizame is not a very large family, all in all, with the entire family being comparable to just the "main family" of other groups like Peregrine and Wolf. Naval warfare and piracy being the basis of the entire family, it is normal for almost all of the members of the family to be thoroughly trained in these military endeavour and sea exploration. Being a part of the Empire only recently, the presence of the Itachizame in the Imperial bureaucracy is quite limited and they have a very limited presence in other parts of the Empire, except a few coastal towns with trade outposts. The reputation of the Itachizame family is bad throughout the Empire. Most people consider them to be upstart nobles with ambition greater than what they really should have, even if they are a Sons of Heaven family, and that's in the best of cases. In dark corners and in shady izakaya, they are often compared to the Chivalrous Organizations and the old betrayal of their original lord weights heavily on people's consience. This reputation doesn't follow the Tigershark in the court of the Shogun and some of the higher echelon of the society, where the Itachizame are loved BECAUSE of the fact that they betrayed in the past. Lordship and territory Technically speaking, the Tigershark territory is all of the Crystal Isle and the surrounding sea, but this is not quite accurate, as most members of the Great Pirate Alliance are directly responsible for their own territory and sea lanes. Imperial control of the region does grant the Itachizame the right to tax and regulate the entire region, but most of the smart captains know what to declare and what not to talk about in regards to their actual wealth. Local industry has not changed a lot over the years, as fruit orchards and fishing make up the bulk of the local economic activities, with ship construction being a close third. WIth the explosion of trade with the Long Wave Archipelago, ship building has grown rapidly in recent times, however, almost overtaking agricultural activities in large population centers. Piracy was always the primary economic activity of the nobles of the island however. The Island and the sea surrounding it is dangerous even for the smartest captain, with pirates and brigands making up the biggest threat for obvious reasons. The Itachizame maintain an immense fleet with the help of the rest of the Great Pirate Alliance, even though saying they really "control" it is a bit of a stretch, as every captain has his own agenda which sometimes take precedence over the will of their lord. This type of military is unique in the Empire, where the rules for interaction between lord and servant is quite clear, and even time doesn't seem to change this. Land forces of the Tigershark is almost inexistant, relying on marine and landing forces when required to take action on land. Political power of the Tigershark is based on the fact that they are the strongest and wealthiest of the Pirate Lords, and as such they have to maintain their aura of authority with drastic actions at time. Taxes are collected normally to pay the Imperial bureaucracy, but extortion and racketeering is common by representatives of the Itachizame in order to make people understand that they are in charge. Punitive raids against captains that decide to break the mold or defy the Tigershark authority are a fact of life. While any Imperial immigrant would see this as a gross misuse of power by a ruling family, this is expected from the Pirate King and his cronies, just like his close ties with the Ninkyo and other less reputable elements of the Empire. Disconnnected from the main Imperial religious leadership, most of the citizens of the Crystal Isle follow the Path of the Spirits, but a lot of the original Way of the Stars ideas slip into the religious discourse at time. Even with the acceptance of Kindai by the Imperial bureaucracy, the Itachizame still suppresses all forms of Kindai temples and discourse in his territory. Vassal families The Itachizame do not really have "vassals", more like "servants that were beaten into submission". There are no real offshoot of the Itachizame, as they are themselves descendant from the original Same family. Important servant families *The Hohojirozame (Rival family for most of the pre-Imperial era, second most powerful pirate faction) *The Shashi (A recent rise to power by the Killer Whale has driven them to recent prominence, but the fact they hate the Shogun and the Imperial bureaucracy makes them a less likely candidate to replace the Pirate King in the future) *The Unagi (The spying / intelligence arm of the Great Pirate Alliance, the Eel has never really tried to take power in the Alliance but their backing of the various Pirate Kings has been essential in order to maintain power) *The Maguro (The Tuna is an odd family, mainly dealing in trade and commerce rather than direct piracy, they were the only family allowed to land on the Endless Shore for the longest time in order to conduct trade with the Empire) Rivals and enemies The Tigershark's main enemy are the other members of the Great Pirate Alliance, as his position is always precarious as any member can topple him with some skill and political manoeuvering. After the inclusion of the Crystal Isle in the Empire and the strong backing the Shogun is giving to the Itachizame, their position is far more secure than it ever was before. Almost all the families and coastal lords in the Empire despise the Crystal Islanders and they show it toward the Itachizame most of the time, but the political clout of the Tigershark has put them in direct conflict with the Peregrine and Viper in recent years as well. Important members of the family Category:Great Families Category:Crystal Isle